08/27/2014

ESPN's celebrated College GameDay crew should be arriving to Fort Worth on Thursday, and the show starts Saturday morning at 9 a.m. from Sundance Square. It's part of ESPN's kickoff coverage to the Cowboys Classic featuring No. 1 Florida State against Oklahoma State in Jerry World on Saturday night.

A pair of the Game Day analysts - Lee Corso and Desmond Howard - were nice enough to give me some bold predictions for the 2014 college football season.

No. 1 Florida State versus unranked Oklahoma State; does OSU have any shot?DESMOND HOWARD: If the Noles are still riding high off the national title run maybe the Cowboys can sneak up them and pull out an upset. On paper, it obviously doesn’t look good for Oklahama State.The reason is doesn’t look good is because they have so many question marks and holes on defense and offensive line. You never know how guys like that will respond in a big game.

Who do you like in the Big 12?LEE CORSO: I like Oklahoma because of their schedule. I am not a great believer in Trevor Knight yet.

But he crushed Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.LEE CORSO: That has nothing to do with it. Alabama didn’t want to be there. Trevor Knight was great, but one game does not make a quarterback. He threw eight touchdown passes last year. They are going to win that conference because of that schedule. They are 57-4 in the last 10 years in Norman. That’s pretty good.

The best teams this season are?LEE CORSO: Start with Florida State, but the Pac 12 is the best conference in football. Top to bottom. They have the best football in the nation, better than the SEC. The reason is the quarterback. They have so many good quarterbacks. I picked UCLA to win the conference, and quarterback Brett Hundley to win the Heisman.I think the surprise team is going to be Florida.

Will Florida State easily run the table in the ACC?DESMOND HOWARD: On paper, they are pretty much unmatched. But I don't think anyone would have said Auburn would have been able to pull off what it pulled off last year. Once you see teams on the field you know.

Your final four playoff teams?LEE CORSO: Florida State, Alabama, UCLA and Michigan State. Florida State and UCLA in the championship game, and UCLA wins.DESMOND HOWARD: Right now it's Florida State, Georgia, Wisconsin and UCLA. Those are my four.

How long before we go from four to eight playoff teams?LEE CORSO: Once the SEC has a No. 5 team that doesn't get in, we'll go to eight.DESMOND HOWARD: I would say probably within five years it will be eight. I don't know if it could go more than that.